Thread: St. Martinus University Faculty of Medicine Complaints & Reviews - Fraud

http://www.complaintsboard.com/bycompany/st-martinus-university-faculty-of-medicine-a340592.html St. Martinus University Faculty of Medicine
Posted: 2011-10-05 by Don'tlikebeingliedto
Fraud Complaint Rating: Company information: St. Martinus University Faculty of Medicine Netherlands Antilles martinus.edu
I was accepted into the medical program at St Martinus University in Curacao. Before my arrival, I was told I had to submit a $1, 000 down payment in order to secure a spot. I was assured that this deposit was refundable. I went down to the school to check it out and make sure it was the right choice. Shortly after I arrived I realized that the Island was not what I thought, nor was it as it was represented to me (particularly through their website). I felt very unsafe and after a bit of research it became clear that this was not the place for me. I left and returned to Canada, and a month later the school finally answered my email stating that I would not get the refund back. The email is below: Good morning, We understand that you will not be attending St. Martinus University this year, but as per the admissions policy, the $1, 000 seat deposits are non-refundable. However, if you are interested in attending in January 2012, please let us know and we will reserve your seat. Thank you again for your interest in St. Martinus University Faculty of Medicine and we hope to see you in 2012. However, the policy in question states that "A seat reservation fee is a one time non-refundable fee of $1000 US and will be deducted from the cost of tuition upon attending." Since I never attended the University, (Ie., I just visited the Island and withdrew my application before school even began) the money should be refunded in full. In my correspondence with the school, I was assured this was the case. I have yet to hear back from this institution, but I intend to take this matter to court and will sue for how the school has misrepresented themselves, particularly on their website they state that Curacao has one of the lowest crime rates in the Caribbean per capita (http://www.martinus.edu/why-SMUFOM.html). This however is completely false, and statistics can be found online to counter this claim (such as here NewsHour Extra: Student Voice | Neelam from Curacao Reveals Details About Her Island Nation | April 17, 2009 | PBS, or here NETHERLANDS ANTILLES DEVELOPMENT PROFILE). To be clear, I never attended the school, and therefore am entitled to a complete refund of the deposit I submitted as stated by there staff and by the policy in question that is supposedly preventing me from getting my deposit back. Their willingness to steal my money truly shows how desperate this school is for cash, which reaffirms my decision to not attend. This pathetic display won't go unnoticed, and I hope other students don't have to go through the same thing. If anyone wants any information, feel free to contact me.

I remember seeing this original thread on Value MD awhile ago, and if I remember correctly the OP got DESTROYED by all the other posters, everyone was like, "uhhhh..... you have no grounds to stand on here." A deposit is a deposit, I don't know any university that gives those BACK if they are holding a spot for you then you back out. That's the point of a deposit, isn't it? They are holding that spot for you. How can you expect them to hold a spot for you, possibly turn people away because that's your spot, but then give your money back once you back out? I know classmates of mine that had given deposits to other schools, you don't get those back if you decide not to attend. Yes, it's deducted from your tuition ONCE YOU ATTEND, but there's nowhere saying you're gonna get that back should you choose not to attend. I'm not sure how much more simply I can put it, sorry.

If the staff did in fact say that the deposit was refundable, that's a different story, but to make sure everyone was clear with what was being stated I would have got it in writing. I feel bad for the OP, especially if they thought their money was refundable, but they definitely should have got that in writing seeing as a refundable deposit isn't the policy anywhere that I know of.